"Terrible" Monsters and Their StoriesBy: Haley Stockton - section 41

Monsters are usually the giant, furry creatures stuffed under your bed, they are the creepers that lurk in the night, or the man that takes all of your blood. But as we've discussed, monsters come in all shapes, sizes and personalities. In reality, they are extremely complex just like you and I. Every monster has a good and a bad side, even though some may be harder to find than others. Despite that every monster is different, they all have their own stories about where they came from and who they are.

So when you took the quiz, what monster were you? I was Frankenstein's Monster. I was surprised; my initial thought was, "wow I'm an outcast and a freak to everyone?" But after reading the short analysis I realized it wasn't calling me a lifeless killer...

"You might come off as intimidating but you’ve got a kind and gentle nature about you. You look like an adult but you’re really a kid at heart."

Looking at the quiz, I chose a haunted hospital, heart, sweet, snap and magic. I chose all of those things because I express some interest in it. But if a monster would too, then how am I not considered one? If you ask me, all humans could be monsters or at least act like them. We all have a dark side that is just kept at bay with other things. Ask yourself "what are the things that you are interested in that you don't want anyone to know?" or "what do I like that may frighten other people?" or "Do I enjoy watching someone get hacked to death in this movie?" We like horror because we can relate to it. This is kind of what I mean by every monster having a good and bad side. Frankenstein's monster is seen as a terrible monster who has no humanity and destroys everything he touches. But on the other hand, people argue that Victor (his creator) is the real monster. He left his monster without raising him or teaching him how to even be human, causing him to be all alone. All Frankenstein's monster really wanted was to be normal, be human. This creates an empathetic side to his story that people actually feel sorry for. Yes, he killed people, but he was also nurtured into that.

Society is quick to judge, especially in this day and age. We assume that all the bad people are monsters, but really if you use a little introspection and metacognition you can find that they are not just the "bad" people, monsters are good people too. We can all be good on the surface and by good I mean selfless, caring, giving, kind, warm-hearted, and all the other fluffy stuff everyone wants us to be. However, looking a little deeper, theres dark things that each of us crave or have. Whether it be fear, anger, narcissism, danger, attention, or whatever your dark passenger is... we crave horror. But does that make us monsters by societies standards? No it doesn't. Even though monsters can exhibit all of those qualities, we are not the monsters.

As humans, we fail to see ourselves as bad. We like to believe that we can only do good things and never do any harm. Our biggest problem is that we project our own fears, vulnerabilities, worries, and darknesses onto monsters so that we can face them that way. We're really just in denial of who we are actually capable of being. It takes a reflection of yourself to see who you really are and actually fix the problem.

Like I mentioned earlier, monsters are really complex beings. They usually adapt to their environment, picking up skills and traits that will allow them to succeed and flourish. They are flexible. For instance, in class we watched clips from Moana. The monster in that film is Maui, a demi-god. We analyzed his physical characteristics along with his personality traits. He is a shape shifter, for instance, so he can easily manipulate his appearance however he wants in order to benefit himself. Maui is also arrogant and egotistical, thinking that humans owe him everything. But should they? He provides them with essential things in life, so shouldn't they feel gratitude towards him instead of thinking he is a monster. In the movie he steals something, which was a big part of why he is considered a monster, but humans steal too. They aren't really considered monsters because we think of it as just a misguided person who made a mistake and will change. For monsters though, they don't get second chances. Monsters really have two sides, its up to the on looker to interpret both sides. Most of the time, we can only see the bad stuff; however, we must reflect on our own experiences and try to see where we relate to the monster in order to understand it. We have to adapt our own preconceptions to the actual concepts and reality of monsters.